A new player at the crease

Tahirul Qadri's sudden arrival on the scene is somewhat puzzling, especially in context of overall national scenario.

We have a new entrant in our political scene. Arriving from Canada, where he had retreated some years ago, Dr Tahirul Qadri, heading the Tehrik-e-Minhajul Quran, told the mass rally he addressed at the Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on December 23 that his mission was to save the state. For this, he set a deadline of January 10 for the government, saying that if reform was not introduced, he would stage a huge gathering outside the National Assembly to drive home his points. Dr Qadri’s call for an ‘extended’ national government to stay in place till the existing electoral set-up could be changed should also send alarm bells ringing in many places. Dr Qadri’s insistence that this falls within the Constitution is something that requires debate.

There are also other points to ponder carefully. The sudden arrival of Dr Qadri on the scene is somewhat puzzling, especially in the context of the overall national scenario. We also need to ask how this immaculately planned rally was financed — with its six separate security gates, its highly organised seating plan with ‘professionals’ placed in front rows and hordes of volunteers to supervise things. We all know how things work in our country and the question of ‘string-pulling’ from behind the scenes quickly comes to mind.

What, then, is the real role of Dr Tahirul Qadri? The urge to force change in the electoral set-up in the country has come to him at a highly awkward time — just ahead of scheduled polls. The religious leader, who has tried a dip in politics before, this time takes the MQM with him; a delegation from the party attended the rally. The PTI has also offered tacit support.



From the size of the rally, it is clear there are those who believe in Dr Qadri. His moderate religious views come as a relief. But huge gatherings, so suddenly staged, will always raise eyebrows and right now, the impact and role of Dr Qadri on an already unstable scene will be watched with much care and much conjecture over the coming days and weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2012.